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Springboard: the secret history of the first real smartphone (Full Documentary)

The Verge · documentary · Watch on YouTube

Tech company stories & documentariesConsumer devices & gadgetsHistory of computing

What it is

The Verge's documentary on Handspring and its Treo, a smartphone that came a decade before the iPhone. It tells how a small team tried to build the modern smartphone and was held back by carriers and timing.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN recommends it as an interview-rich history of Handspring, Palm OS and why telcos hurt early smartphones.

  • 3 people recommended it
  • 2 different months
  • 0 strong recommendations
  • first 2022, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “I thought this documentary about Handspring was interesting”

    Handspring history and how telcos hurt it.

    roywiggins, 2022-02 · Recommendation · in “IBM Simon”

  2. “Nice documentary about this with interviews”

    Interviews on Handspring and Treo creation.

    pushedx, 2024-04 · Recommendation · in “PumpkinOS, a Re-Implementation of PalmOS”

  3. “Handspring documentary by the Verge had an interesting perspective on the matter”

    Interesting perspective on Handspring's fate.

    throwaway74354, 2024-04 · Recommendation · in “Palm OS and the devices that ran it”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: handspring, treo, palm os, smartphone history, the verge

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